Erin Custer's Staging Area

This is the 4th time that I have run this half marathon and I think that it will be my last. The course is flat and the scenery is amazing but the amount of concrete that you run on is too much for my body to take. I am not sure if it is the lack of shade, the heat or the concrete but every year after this race I feel like I have the flu. My body just doesn’t like the course. Aside from my personal experience, the course is great. The scenery is really awesome. Seeing the Queen Mary is so cool! Everyone who runs is friendly as well. They have a really nice finish line festival also. Volunteers are super friendly and really enthusiastic as well! Love all the cheering that they do during the course.

This race was amazing. I used it as a training race for Ironman Arizona and it did not disappoint. The bike is hilly and there is a lot of elevation change but it was a great ride. The scenery can’t be beat and the ride as well as the run is set on PCH. Part of the ride also goes into the woodsy area so you are in the forrest and that was awesome as well. I loved every minute of it. The weather was amazing as well, no wind and sunny for the run.
The volunteers are awesome and give it their all, ensuring that you have everything that you need for the race at the aide stations. I would do this race again!

This race is fun and really flat. I don’t care for the expo, as it is very small and there is not a lot going on. I was excited to see that they had merchandise for sale this year, which is not something they used to have a lot of. I enjoy the course because it is flat and easy. The neighborhoods that get out there are also really nice and a lot of kids are out there which means a lot of energy! It is always nice to have that. It is a smaller race which is nice as well, but it does take awhile to open up on the course since the roads are very narrow.

I will not do this race again simply because parking is a nightmare. I live in Costa Mesa and I had to leave 2 hours early just to get to the start line. Even leaving that early, I barely made it.
I was doing the bike and run combo and when I arrived there were so many people there I couldn’t see where to go for the bike. It took me a good 20 minutes to find a volunteer who knew where to go. I asked several with no luck. Once I finally got to where I needed to be the volunteers were great. They helped me with my stuff, told me where it needed to go and led me to the start. The other racers were rude though which was a big turnoff for me. One knocked my bike over and just continued to walk without an excuse me.
The course is very hot and very boring for the run, so that was a turn off as well. I know several people that love this race however it is not for me and I will not be doing it again. It is over crowded.

Destination Races always puts on some great races and events. I really enjoy their events. Napa to Sonoma is one of my favorites. I chose this race as my 30th race to celebrate my 30th birthday. Everyone is so friendly, the volunteers are helpful and the spectators and full of life. It is a great race and I will do it for as long as I can!

This is a fun 5k to run with your friends and family. It is well run, and there are not a lot of people so there is ample room to run. I never felt that there was a bottle neck in any areas. I liked that it was on grass and dirt as well, it was a lot easier on my knees. I also enjoyed the scenery. Fairview park is a great park and it was fun to get to run. You don’t get a medal or anything but it is still fun to participate. There are a lot of volunteers and it is very spectator friendly. All the participants were friendly as well. There are a lot of kids that do this race so it is always a good time to cheer them on as well!

There were not a lot of people that ran the race this year and I was fine with that. I ran this with my mom and she registered the day of the race with no problem. We got there early and there was ample parking, along with volunteers to tell you where to go. There was no confusion as to where you could park, and where the start line was. It was easy to get around. They had a lot of bathrooms as well which was nice. The course was flat, there wasn’t a lot to see and it was a little boring, but overall it was nice. They had a lot of aide stations as well!

This was the first time that I did the marathon and I thought that it was tough. I did not like that you had to double back on PCH and the beach trail all the way back and then turn around. It was essentially 4 loops on PCH and that was not fun for me. It was hot and it was hard to get into a good mindset and finish. I really enjoy the half marathon and I was hoping that I would also enjoy the marathon but I do not think I will do it again.